Financial executive Tim Conrad (Paul Rudd) is eyeing promotion when he's handed a prime opportunity to get into his boss's good books. Impressed with Tim's work, boss Fender (Bruce Greenwood) invites him to an exclusive annual dinner, where each guest must bring the biggest numbskull they can find. The oblivious idiots will unwittingly provide the evening's entertainment, while the employee with the most moronic plus-one is handsomely rewarded.
Disgusted by the idea, Tim's girlfriend Julie (Stephanie Szostak) begs him not to attend. When Tim knocks down eccentric mouse taxidermist Barry Speck (Steve Carell), however, he thinks he may have found a potential dinner guest too perfect to pass up.
Meet The Parents director Jay Roach serves up this entertaining take on acclaimed French farce Le Dîner De Cons. While using the original film's premise, Roach, who also helmed the Austin Powers series, injects the comedy with a distinctly Hollywood flavour.
Carell and Rudd lead a cast stuffed with comic talent, including the increasingly popular Zach Galifianakis as Barry's boss and love rival, plus Flight of the Conchords stars Jemaine Clement and Kristen Schaal. Rudd, again, displays his likeable everyman charm, while Carell's Speck is a less subtle figure of fun than his loveably inept character in The Office.
Dinner for Schmucks is a Film programme that first aired in 2010 and has been classified a 15 certificate.
